Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Monday, April 5, 1999

UW receives CFI infrastructure funds
Postdocs win SSHRC fellowships
Public meeting to discuss UWinfo
Grad student seat open on senate
As the winter term winds down

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UW receives CFI infrastructure funds

The University of Waterloo has received $5 million in funding for six infrastructure projects from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The announcement was made last week as part of a total investment of $131.8 million to support 78 projects at 33 Canadian universities and research institutions.

Under the Institutional Innovation Fund (over $350,000) 23 institutions will receive funding for 59 projects for a total of $124.4 million. UW projects receiving Institutional Innovation Fund awards:

Improvements to UW network and cabling infrastructure in support of research
Synthetic and biosynthetic materials research facility
Materials technology and analysis facility -- High resolution Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA)/Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) Microprobe
Bell Emergis University Labs at UW
Instrumentation for the application of high-throughput molecular biology and biotechnology to environmental problems
Infrastructure support for research activities of the Institute of Vision Science and Technology (IVST)

Waterloo had a better than average success rate in the funding of its proposals, reports the research office. UW received funding for six of seven projects -- a success rate of 85.7 per cent, compared to the average of 78.7 per cent. The university was also the only institution receiving approval for six projects. Two others had five projects funded, and the rest had fewer.

Postdocs win SSHRC fellowships

Three UW scholars are among the 137 researchers across Canada who have been awarded Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) postdoctoral fellowships in the 1999 competition.

Derrek Eberts (economic geography), Paul Estabrooks (physical and health education), and John Staples (social history) will begin two years of full-time research with the help of fellowship funding of $28,428 per year, plus a $5,000 allowance to help cover direct research costs.

One quarter of the 488 candidates in this year's awards competition were granted a fellowship. Winners were selected by juries of expert researchers.

Public meeting to discuss UWinfo

The UWinfo ad hoc committee is asking for feedback from the community in its efforts to improve UWinfo and to ensure that information is delivered in a complete, accurate and timely fashion. To facilitate public input, an open meeting will be held Wednesday, April 7, at noon in Needles Hall room 3001.

As a starting point, the committee is exploring ways in which UW culture and processes can be transformed to capitalize on opportunities offered by the Internet, to provide information about the university and access to its services.

As well, the committee suggests that the need for creation of information in other forms (e.g., paper, graphic arts, CDs, multi media) is recognized but, whenever possible, it should be derived or obtained from the network-accessible collection.

Other areas for consideration include:

coordination among UW information providers to reduce or eliminate duplication of effort and to ensure that UWinfo is as broadly based and comprehensive as possible
consistent look and feel (e.g., style; image; a template for web documents)
accuracy, consistency, reliability and maintenance of posted information
security and confidentiality (e.g., data bases which include personal information)
searching; navigating; cataloguing
performance standards (e.g., responsiveness of servers; use of cumbersome graphics and scripts)
training (choice of tools, use of technologies) and resources
legal and audit implications (e.g., copyright; what constitutes the official version of the calendars; electronic signatures)
archive (e.g., 'instance-in-time' versions of the graduate and undergraduate calendars)
who or what body should have oversight responsibility for UWinfo

Grad student seat open on senate

Two graduate student representatives to senate have been acclaimed. Holly Crumpton (English), and Barry Pekillis (electrical and computer engineering) will serve terms from May 1, 1999, to April 30, 2001.

One graduate seat on senate remains open for the term May 1, 1999, to April 30, 2000, to be elected by and from full- and part-time graduate students. Nomination forms are available by phoning ext. 6125, and must be signed by at least five nominators. Forms must be returned by 3 p.m. on Friday, April 9, to the chief returning officer, university secretariat, Needles Hall room 3060. An election will be held if necessary.

As the winter term winds down

Senate executive committee meets today at 3:30 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3004. More budget talk is on tap.

Students interested in self-employment and entrepreneurship are invited to a recruitment event for the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs tonight at 7 in Davis Centre room 1301.

Starting today, the Village 1 copy centre in room 116 will be closed for the spring term.

Tomorrow at noon is the deadline for receipt of mail-in ballots for the UW faculty association elections. Ballots arriving after that time will not be counted. The results will be announced at Wednesday's annual general meeting.

While the rest of us prepare for finals, two UW students are in Nova Scotia this week representing Ontario in the National Ringette Championships in Dartmouth and Halifax. Kelly Parise, a graduate student in psychology plays defense and is team captain; Julie Bauer, a third year arts student is a goalie for the team.

And daylight saving time arrived this weekend. For those who didn't notice, it may be later than you think.

Barbara Elve
bmelve@uwaterloo.ca

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@uwaterloo.ca | (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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